


Bottom's Up

by bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Patrolling, Puppies, Season 9 AU, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24247114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: When they realize neither of them has plans for Christmas, Oliver invites Chloe to spend the day with him.
Relationships: Oliver Queen & Chloe Sullivan
Kudos: 2





	Bottom's Up

By the time Oliver made it back to Watchtower after his patrol on Christmas Eve, it was nearly Christmas day. He was tired, but he was more cold than anything. It had been snowing for three days straight, and he was starting to wonder if it was ever going to stop. At least Metropolis was getting the white Christmas so many had been hoping for. Shaking snow off his hood, he made his way inside the building, using the window on the top floor like he always did and stomping his boots on a rug there to get the residual snow off. 

“You know, the one good thing about the cold weather? Not too many people are doing bad things,” he announced as he came down the stairs.

Chloe smiled a little as she turned to face him and nodded. “Between that and the holidays, it should be a slow week for us.”

“That’ll be a nice change,” he told her, rubbing his hands over his arms and moving toward the storage area where he kept his gear. 

“You must be freezing,” she commented, glancing toward him before turning back toward the computers.

“Just a little.” He pulled his arm bands off and placed them in the storage locker, placing his bow and quiver inside, as well. 

“You know, if you want to take a break, we might be able to just have Bart run through the city a couple of times on nights that are really cold,” she suggested.

Oliver considered that for a moment as he unzipped his vest. “If it’s _really_ cold, that might be the way to go. But I think I’m done with breaks for awhile.” His voice was quiet. “At least ones that last longer than a day or two.” 

Chloe chewed on the inside of her lip and nodded slightly. “Of course, even if you don’t go out on patrol, there’s plenty to do here, so, keep that in mind.”

He looked over at her for a moment, smiling faintly at that. “And the company’s good, so win-win.” 

She glanced at him over her shoulder and smirked a little then shook her head. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if she believed the sincerity of his words and he paused for a moment, just watching her. Then he slid his vest inside the locker. “What are you doing today?” he asked casually.

Chloe frowned a little at the question then motioned at the computers and arched an eyebrow at him.

“It’s Christmas,” he pointed out, arching his eyebrows back at her.

“I have a calendar,” she told him, shaking her head a little.

“So, why don’t we do something different?” Oliver suggested. “Clark can keep an ear out for trouble, and we can...I don’t know, watch cheesy Christmas movies and eat Chinese food at my place.” 

“Clark is probably in DC with Mrs. Kent, or he will go up at some point.” Chloe paused and looked at Oliver for a moment. “Besides, shouldn’t you go see Dinah?”

He hadn’t seen _that_ one coming and he cocked his head, staring at her. “Why would I go see Dinah?” he asked, puzzled.

“The emails you mentioned the other day?” She pointed out, giving him a look.

It took everything within him not to sigh. This again? Really? He shook his head, giving her a look right back. “If you’d paid any attention, you’d have noted those emails were very one-sided, and that side didn’t happen to be mine.” 

She looked at him for a moment then shrugged. “It’s none of my business. All I’m saying is that if you have somewhere to be, you should go.”

“Well, I don’t,” he said honestly. “Dinah’s with her family, Bart’s with his uncle, Victor’s seeing someone and apparently it’s kind of serious because he’s spending the holiday with her, and AC is laying on a beach somewhere in the South Pacific.” 

Chloe considered him for a moment then nodded, pursing her lips together. “I’m not really in a celebrating mood.”

His expression softened at that and he pulled a t-shirt on over his head, his chest tightening as he considered all the reasons she wasn’t into the idea of celebrating Christmas this year. She’d lost everything. “I get that,” he said quietly. 

She turned back toward the screens and as her own chest tightened, she closed her eyes and sighed. She had gone out of her way not to celebrate Christmas and to do her best to be on her own. But Oliver had no choice in the matter and if the look on his face was anything to go by, he didn’t _want_ to be alone. “Chinese doesn’t sound bad, though,” she said quietly, pursing her lips together.

He moved so he was standing behind her, and reached out, laying one hand on her shoulder. He knew she wasn’t excited about the idea, regardless. “We don’t have to. It was just an idea. I get not wanting to celebrate, and I even understand where you’re coming from, Chloe,” he said honestly. “Slightly different circumstances, but I do get it.” Truthfully, he probably got it better than anyone else around them.

Holding her breath, she looked down at the hand he had on her shoulder and looked at him. “We still need to eat though, right?” She pointed out, smiling a little. It wouldn’t be the first time they had dinner together after patrols, so it wasn’t anything special. 

He smiled back, nodding. “Right,” he agreed. “So we can just hang out and eat Chinese food and pretend it’s just any other day.” 

“Exactly,” she said quietly, watching him closely. At least he wouldn’t be on his own.

And neither would she, which was his whole point. “Great.” He met her eyes, holding her gaze for a moment. “So I’ll see you in a few hours?” 

“Yeah.” She nodded a little, holding his gaze. “Give me a call when you’re ready for me and I’ll come by as long as everything is quiet.”

“All right. Try and get a little sleep, okay?” he teased, voice light, even though he was more worried than he’d like to admit about the fact that she wasn’t taking care of herself.

Chloe smirked a little at him but ignored his concern. She would sleep, eventually. “I’ll see you later.”

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and headed for the door, grabbing his coat on the way out. That had actually been easier than he’d expected.

* * *

It was around one in the afternoon when Chloe made her way over to the Clocktower. The snow was still coming down heavily, heavier than the day before, so she definitely didn’t plan on letting Oliver patrol today. There was no point him risking himself like that, the streets were incredibly slippery, she couldn’t imagine how the rooftops would be. 

She punched her code in and waited for the elevator to take her upstairs. She was glad they had agreed to this, there was nothing to do and she rather spend some time with him than be in her head, alone at Watchtower. She knew no good would come out of that.

The second the elevator doors opened, she was greeted by an excited, barking, bundle of fur at her feet. It leaped up, it’s little paws on her legs as its tail wagged back and forth furiously.

Chloe stilled, mostly out of surprise as she stared down at the dog. Well, at the puppy. It looked like a tiny version of Lassie, but she was more confused by the fact that the dog was there at all. “Oliver?” She called, looking around then smiling a little when the dog licked the snow off her boots. “That’s probably not good for you,” she told it as she leaned down and scratched under its chin to stop it from licking her boots again.

He appeared a moment later, shaking his head in amusement. “I wondered where she went,” he told her with a grin, carrying a glass of tea in one of his hands and a cup of coffee in the other. 

“She?” Chloe asked, cocking her head a little. “When did you get a dog?”

“Three days ago. But technically I just picked her up from the shelter this morning.” Oliver held the cup of coffee out to her, and reached down, scooping the pup up in one arm and chuckling when it licked his face, barking again. 

Chloe smiled at his reaction to the puppy and nodded a little as she sipped on the coffee. “She’s adorable, does she have a name yet?”

“Not yet. I thought maybe you could help out with that.” He smiled at her.

“I can try,” she told him, reaching over and rubbing the dog behind her ear.

The puppy’s attention turned to her again and she licked Chloe’s hand. “Well, she definitely likes you,” he commented with a secret smile.

She smiled and watched the dog, nodding a little. “Guess I’m kind of a dog person, Shelby and I get along too.”

Oliver watched her and nodded, as well. “Wanna hold her?” he offered.

Chloe hesitated for a moment then nodded. She sipped on her coffee once more before setting it on Oliver’s coffee table, along with her purse and reaching for the puppy. “Thank you for the coffee, by the way. It’s really good.”

“You’re welcome,” he said sincerely, shifting the dog into her arms. “Glad you like it. It’s a European blend.” He didn’t really drink coffee himself, but he’d kept a stock of various kinds on hand for whenever Chloe was around, or if Lois decided to drop in for an unexpected visit. 

“Lois has taught you well,” she teased, smiling as the puppy licked her face and pulling away from her a little. “What made you decide to get a dog?”

He paused for a moment, watching Chloe with the pup and then taking a drink of his tea. “Well, I know a guy who works at the shelter, and he told me a few weeks ago that one of their dogs was due to give birth soon. Just had to wait for her to be old enough to be separated from her mom.” He reached out and scratched behind the dog’s ears.

“She seems to be adapting well,” she told him, brushing a hand over the dog’s coat. 

Oliver nodded in agreement, motioning to the sofa. “Have a seat. I’ll go ahead and order some Chinese. Lo mein?” he asked, arching his eyebrows. 

“Chicken lo mein,” she nodded, smiling at him as she walked over to the couch. “Guess I’m predictable.” She set the puppy down carefully then removed her coat and boots and left them by the door.

“We’ve had Chinese together a few times now,” he said with a soft smile, turning and heading into the kitchen to order their food. When he returned a moment later, there was a card in his hand. He set his glass on the coffee table next to hers and sat down beside her on the sofa, holding the card out wordlessly.

Chloe had the dog on her lap by the time he got back and she just stared at the card, then at him for a moment. “What is that?”

“The only time I’ll be making mention of the day,” he promised, arching his eyebrows.

She didn’t reach for the card. “Tell me you didn’t go and get me anything, Oliver.”

He sighed softly, looking at her. “It isn’t much, really, and considering everything you’ve done for me lately, I wanted to do something to return the favor. I mean, it’s nothing as grand as saving your life or anything, but...” He held the card out toward her once more.

All she did was stare at him for a moment longer, a frown on her face as she reached for the card, her chest tight. She felt bad for not getting him anything, but she had meant it when she told him she wasn’t in the mood for celebrating. With a deep breath, she opened the card and and a gift certificate fell out of it, frowning more, she picked it up and paused when she saw what it was for. “A pet store?”

Oliver pursed his lips, dropping his gaze to the pup in her lap, who was chewing on her shirt sleeve. “Yeah, she’s gonna need some stuff aside from what I already got her.” He held his breath.

“But she’s _your_ dog,” Chloe said, even though she was pretty sure he was trying to tell her otherwise.

“Well, I was kind of thinking she could be the team’s dog.” When she didn’t respond, he met her eyes. “I mean, I go out of town a lot for business. No dog is going to want to travel all the time. She needs a steady home, and...” He fell silent.

“You want her to stay at the Watchtower?” She asked, staring at him. 

“Well...yeah. I spend more time there than I do _here_ , anyway,” he pointed out. “And you said yourself, you’re a dog person. Now the team can have a mascot.” 

“I don’t know, Oliver...” she looked down at the puppy and took a deep breath. “There is so much in there she could get into, can you imagine if she chews on a wire? She’d be electrocuted.” 

“Already thought of that,” he admitted. “The pet store sells some great stuff for puppy-proofing stuff like electrical wires, and if it goes over the cost of the gift card, that’s fine.” 

Chloe took a deep breath and watched him for a moment then down at the puppy. It wasn’t like she could tell him to return her. “You’re in charge of puppy-proofing. And training.” She told him, arching her eyebrows. 

He grinned, nodding. “Not a problem.” 

She let out a breath and nodded a little. “Okay,” she agreed quietly. 

As if she understood, the pup barked excitedly again, licking Chloe’s chin and wagging her little tail. 

Oliver smiled at Chloe, reaching out and gently petting the pup’s back. “Cool.” 

Chloe couldn’t help but smile as she hugged the puppy gently. “She will definitely need a name.”

“Yeah, she will. I’ve been trying to think of one all day, but haven’t come up with anything that fits her,” he told Chloe, chest feeling with warmth at the look on her face.

“Maybe she needs a codename instead, since she will be part of the team,” Chloe suggested, cocking her head as she looked at the dog who was now sitting on her lap and looking at her. “Something like Guardian...” 

Oliver couldn’t help but smile at that, nodding. “Good idea.” He chewed the inside of his cheek.

Chloe glanced over at him and paused at the look on his face. “What?”

“Nothing,” he assured her, reaching out for his tea and taking a big drink, still smiling. Somehow, he’d known that she’d wind up falling in puppy love with the dog.

Chloe grinned a little when the dog moved to the couch, snuggled between the two of them and sighed as she relaxed. “I guess she’s tired.”

“Well, it’s been a big day for her.” He grinned, too, looking at Chloe once more. “Our food should be here within twenty minutes or so.” 

She looked over at him and smiled softly, nodding. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

He hesitated, then reached out and squeezed her arm lightly. “You’re welcome,” he said just as quietly. 

“Have you ever had a dog?” She asked curiously, cocking her head as she watched him.

Oliver shook his head. “Have you?’ he asked.

“No,” she admitted, brushing her fingers over the dog’s coat. “Dad worked long hours and I usually stayed late at school, so he said no one would be home to take care of the dog. He had a point.”

He watched her for a moment, nodding. “I was never in one place long enough to have a dog,” he told her. “But I think I’m pretty settled into my life here now.” 

Chloe looked at him at that. “Yeah, I kind of expected you to rush back to California at the first sign of winter.”

He smirked. “California has its perks,” he admitted. 

“I have no doubt,” she smiled a little. “So why did you stay?”

Oliver paused for a moment, leaning back against the sofa. “Everyone I care about is here,” he said quietly. “They say home is the place you hang your hat, but home for me is where my friends and family are.” 

Holding her breath, she pursed her lips together and nodded slightly. “I’m glad you decided to stay.”

He looked over at her, a small smile on his face. “Me too.” 

* * * 

“So what do you want to do?” Oliver asked her after they were full from the Chinese food. The dog had fallen asleep on the sofa and she was snoring lightly. 

Chloe leaned back against the sofa and took a deep breath. “I know what I _don’t_ want to do.” She nodded toward the window. “Go outside.”

He glanced out the window, arching his eyebrows at the furiously falling snow, and then looking back at her. “Don’t want to turn into a popsicle?” he teased her.

“Pretty much,” she said, grinning a little. “This is nice, though. From the inside.”

“Kind of like being inside one of those snow globes, isn’t it?” He smiled at her and looked outside again.

“Yeah.” She smiled at him then stood up and walked over to the window, looking outside. 

He watched her for a moment, then rose to his feet and moved over to join her, staring outside, too. “It’s pretty.” 

“Can’t have that in California,” she teased, but smiled as she glanced up at him.

“True,” he agreed, smiling back at her. “Plus the company in California isn’t nearly as warm.” 

“She does have a lot of fur,” Chloe said, glancing over at the sleeping puppy then smiling at Oliver.

He snorted, shaking his head at her. “Cute. Very cute.” 

Chloe grinned a little and looked back out. It was early still, but it was already getting darker and although she wanted to ignore the fact that it was Christmas, she could still see the Christmas lights around the city coming on. With a deep breath, she glanced over at him. “Do you have something to drink?” She wasn’t the drinking type, that was more Lois’ thing, but she felt like it would help her relax and since she knew there was no way she could get to Watchtower anytime soon, she might as well.

At that, he smirked. “You do know who you’re with, right?” he teased, nudging her lightly with his elbow. “I have plenty to choose from. What’s your poison?” He didn’t think they’d ever actually had a drink together before, but he doubted that she’d want the same kinds of drinks that Lois usually liked. 

“Anything but beer?” She said, arching her eyebrows a little. “I’m not as experienced in the subject as you and Lois are, so I’ll trust your suggestion.”

He smiled at her, offering her his arm. “All right. Have you ever had Scotch?” he asked.

Chloe took his arm and shook her head a little. “No, I don’t think so.”

“It’s much better than beer, but don’t tell Lois I said so.” He led her into the kitchen, moving over to the sink and pulling a bottle out of the cabinet and grabbing two glasses.

“Anything is better than beer in my opinion.” She smiled a little up at him. “You can’t tell Lois I said that, she will threaten to desert me.” 

“Yeah, but she wouldn’t. She pretty much adores you,” he told her, pouring each of them a glass. 

“I know,” she told him, arching her eyebrows as she took the glass from him. She smelled the liquid first then took a small sip of it. “Huh.”

“What do you think?” he asked, taking a drink, as well. It was a smooth, rich flavor, much more sophisticated than beer.

“It’s really nice,” she admitted. “I expected it to burn more, but it’s really smooth.”

Oliver smiled at that. “The drawback to that is that it’s much easier to drink than something that does burn, so you’re more apt to get drunk faster.” 

“Well, I don’t plan on driving or operating Watchtower for a while, so I think I’m okay.” She smiled then took another small sip.

He nodded, setting the bottle down on the counter and raising his glass to her. “Bottoms up.” 

Chloe clinked her glass against his then took another sip and smiled. This was definitely not what she had planned but it was turning out to be a nice day anyway.

* * * 

“Still snowing,” Oliver commented as he slouched on the sofa later that evening, lulling his head over to look at her.

“Hm,” she murmured, turning her head lazily then looking back at him. “It should have stopped by now, I think.”

He smiled at her, nodding and draping his arm around her shoulders. “Maybe it’s not gonna stop until New Year’s.” 

She leaned against his side a little and took a deep breath. “Hope you have plenty of food in here, then.”

“I do.” He yawned and leaned his head against hers for a moment, keeping his arm around her. “This is really nice.” 

“Yeah,” she murmured, closing her eyes. “I’m okay with not moving.”

He smiled at that, shifting a little and putting his feet up on the coffee table. “I think I’m doing better,” he said, voice soft as he closed his eyes.

“Doing better?” She asked, turning her head up to look at him.

“At not being a jackass,” he explained, yawning.

“You are,” she agreed quietly, smiling. “Well, except when you don’t answer your phone.”

“Only when I’m in meetings at QI,” he explained. “I don’t ignore calls anymore.” Especially not if they were from her.

“Excuses,” she teased, smirking a little and closing her eyes again.

He smiled, giving her a light, affectionate squeeze and looking down at her for a moment. “Sleepy?” he asked.

“No,” she breathed, lifting a hand to cover his. “Relaxed, I guess. I suppose it feels like this.”

Oliver leaned his head against hers, nodding. “Yeah, I guess it does.” 

Chloe turned her head against his a little more, then paused, frowning. “Do you hear that?”

He paused, listening intently to a scuffling noise from down the hall. “Yeah. What is it?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“You don’t have mice, do you?” She asked as she sat up, looking around.

Oliver blinked. “Not that I’m aware of.” 

Squinting, she looked down the hall then paused. “Where is the dog?”

“I...don’t know,” he admitted, rubbing a hand over his face and stumbling to his feet. 

Chloe moved to stand too, but she was suddenly dizzy and fell back on the couch a second later. “Okay, might need a hand.”

He laughed lightly, reaching his hand out to help her up. “Slow there, Sidekick,” he warned.

She grinned a little at him. “Your fault, you got me drunk,” she said as she held onto his hand and stood up, swaying a little.

He grinned back at her. “Not intentionally. You wanted drinks,” he reminded her, still holding onto her.

“Mhmm,” she murmured, frowning when the noise became louder. “It’s coming from one of the bedrooms.”

He nodded, holding her hand as they made their way down the hall to his bedroom where the noise was coming from. He paused just inside the door at the sight of the puppy gnawing on his favorite pair of shoes. 

Chloe paused too and arched her eyebrows. She glanced at Oliver then at the puppy, who dropped the shoe and came toward them, tail wagging. 

He groaned. “You’re not supposed to eat my shoes, dog.” 

She laughed and covered her mouth with her hand. “I assume they are real leather?”

He frowned and looked over at her as the dog jumped up, putting its paws on her leg, tail still wagging. “Yeah, your dog has good taste,” he said wryly.

“My dog? You got her for _the team_.” She let go of Oliver and picked up the dog, swaying a little so she moved to sit down on his bed.

He shrugged, watching her move and sit down on his bed. In his inebriated state of mind, he couldn’t help but notice that she looked right there.

“Maybe we should call her Chewie.” Chloe suggested, grinning up at him.

He smirked at her, giving her a knowing look. “It’s fitting.” 

“What do you think?” Chloe asked the dog. “Chewie?” She laughed when the dog’s ears perked up and she stood up on her lap to lick her face. 

Oliver smiled at her, and at the dog’s reaction. “Chewie it is, apparently.” He moved to sit down beside her, reaching out and scratching the dog behind her ears.

Chewie turned her attention to Oliver and stepped over to his lap, licking his arm as well as she could. 

“She’s sorry, see?” Chloe told him, grinning and laying back on his bed, her head too heavy to hold its weight up.

Oliver shook his head. “Uh huh. I’ll bet she is.” 

“I did tell you you’re in charge of training, right?” Chloe asked, smirking lazily.

“Yep. I’ll hire someone to get right on that,” he said with a smirk of his own, laying back, too and looking at her with a half grin.

“You can’t hire someone to come train her at Watchtower,” Chloe pointed out with a grin.

He chuckled. “They won’t train her _at_ Watchtower. She’ll go to puppy classes or something.” He yawned.

When Chewie walked up to lay down between them in bed, Chloe reached over and started petting her. “You will still need to train her where to go too,” she said, yawning too.

“I know.” He was starting to wonder if he should have gotten a cat. A cat could have used a litter box.

“I think she will be good company, though,” she muttered, looking down at the dog.

He smiled faintly at that. “Yeah, I think so, too.” 

“Especially if you decide to move back to Star City,” she said quietly, her face falling a little but she didn’t really notice. She _was_ tired and with the added alcohol, she wasn’t paying much attention.

He looked over at her again. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said just as quietly.

Chloe looked at him and smiled a little at that. “You are, eventually.”

“What makes you say that?” 

She considered that for a moment and shrugged a little. “I don’t know. I guess I just don’t see you living here forever.”

Oliver considered that for a moment. “Well, maybe not _forever_ , but I’m not planning on leaving anytime soon.” 

“That’s good,” she whispered, watching him closely.

“And you know, you could always come with me,” he said, arching his eyebrows as he met her eyes.

Chloe frowned a little at that. “Watchtower is here.”

“You _are_ Watchtower.” He smiled.

She smiled a little at that but shrugged. “You know what I mean.”

“Well, it’s a long time off anyway. We don’t have to talk about it now.” He reached out and petted the dog gently.

“Yeah,” she sighed softly and turned on her side to face him, curling up a little. 

Oliver smiled faintly at her, reaching out and squeezing her arm gently. “I’m really glad you came over today.” 

“Me too,” she said quietly, her face softening. “This is a lot better than being alone at Watchtower.”

“Yeah?” He met her eyes, sounding hopeful.

“Definitely,” she said as she reached for his hand and squeezed it. 

He threaded his fingers through hers. “Maybe we could do it more often. Like once a week or something. Just as a break.” 

“As long as we don’t have big emergencies, I guess we could,” she agreed quietly.

“I’d like that,” he told her honestly. “I like spending time with you.” 

“I do too,” she said quietly, holding his gaze. “It’s... easy.” Like she didn’t have to watch what she was saying because she knew Oliver wouldn’t judge her. 

Oliver nodded slightly, understanding what she meant, even in his slightly drunken state. He knew Clark wasn’t exactly the easiest person to talk to or be around these days, and since she’d saved his life, he’d been hanging around a lot more than he used to. Things between them were definitely easy, and just relaxed, most of the time. “Yeah, it is.” 

“Thank you,” she whispered, smiling a little more even though her eyes were getting heavy.

“Thank you,” he responded, watching as her eyes drifted shut. “Night.” 

She smiled more and wrapped her arm around the dog even as she kept her hand around Oliver’s. “Night,” she muttered, relaxing even more. 

He closed his eyes, a smile on his face as he started to drift off. So they hadn’t technically celebrated the holiday. It was still one of the best Christmases he could remember.


End file.
